1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable communication terminal, a message output method used for the portable communication terminal, and a program therefor, and more particularly to a portable communication terminal having a flat panel speaker.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic component called a flat panel speaker has been put to practical use. The flat panel speaker is an electronic component in which a display section and a speaker section are integrated. For this reason, the flat panel speaker is effective in downsizing portable electronic devices.
Here, the flat panel speaker is an electronic component in which sound is generated by vibrating a cover portion disposed in front of, if the display section is a liquid crystal panel, the liquid crystal panel, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-533957 A. The cover portion is, for example, an acrylic plate or a glass plate. A component called an exciter or an actuator attached to the cover portion vibrates the cover portion. The exciter and the actuator are components corresponding to a voice coil and a magnet in a conventional cone speaker.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-164977 A proposes a portable communications terminal such as a cellular phone as an electronic device to be downsized with use of the flat panel speaker.
In a cellular phone, a speaker function of the flat panel speaker is used as a speaker for reproducing a ringing tone or music, an ear receiver, or a speaker for hands free communications in which the ear receiver does not need to be put on the user's ear during conversations.
A sound vibrating area of the flat panel speaker, on which the user puts his/her ear to hear sound is larger as compared with an ear receiver of a usual speaker. Thus, it is possible for users, from children to adults, having various distances between the ear and the mouth to use cellular phones having the same size in a natural holding posture. This characteristic of the flat panel speaker is a further advantage in addition to a contribution to downsizing of cellular phones.
In some cellular phones, a speaker for the ear receiver is provided separately from the flat panel speaker, and thus the flat panel speaker is not used for the ear receiver but used mainly as a speaker for reproducing a ringtone or music. Alternatively, only the flat panel speaker is disposed without providing the speaker for the ear receiver in other cases.
In the latter case, the flat panel speaker serves both as the ear receiver and as the speaker for ringing tone or music. The flat panel speaker outputs sound at low volume level when the flat panel speaker serves as the ear receiver for usual phone call. The flat panel speaker outputs ringing tone or music at higher volume level than that for ear receiver use. Further, when the flat panel speaker serves as a speaker for hands free communication, the flat panel speaker also outputs sound at higher volume level than that for usual ear receiver in a phone call.
When the flat panel speaker is used as the ear receiver, the user of the cellular phone hears sound by putting his/her ear against a display also serving as a speaker section. In a state where the user puts his/her ear against the display, when sound is output from the flat panel speaker at a higher volume level than that obtained in a case where the flat panel speaker is used as the ear receiver, the user may be surprised at the loud sound and the ear of the user may be temporarily disabled to hear sound.